Police in the central province of Binh Thuan have proposed prosecution of the bus driver involved in an accident that killed nine Russians and a Vietnamese last year, VnExpress reported on Monday.

Nguyen The Lam may face charges of "violation of regulations on controlling means of road transportation" for which punishment ranges from three years' suspended sentence to 15 years in jail, according to the news source.

The accident happened on March 13, 2009 at Binh Thuan's Dai Ninh Hill when Lam slammed the brakes around a sharp turn near the Dai Ninh Hydropower Plant after he saw a truck turning the other way. The bus, carrying 23 Russian tourists and their tour guide from the central highlands resort town of Da Lat, drove off the hill because the brakes failed, the driver told the police.

Lam, who was injured along with 14 other tourists, said the brakes had failed because they'd been overused on the hill's sharp turns.

Binh Thuan police said so far they were yet to receive demands for compensation from Russian victims. If it happened, Lam may stand a civil trial, they said.